Image forming apparatus including antenna in cover

ABSTRACT

An image forming apparatus that utilizes a communication device is disclosed. A communication unit of a housing which corresponds to an antenna portion is provided at a position at which the communication unit can be seen without obstruction from the upper side. A communication device such as a smartphone can be brought close to or into contact with the communication unit readily. Accordingly, wireless communication between the antenna portion and the communication device can be established.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of prior U.S. application Ser. No.15/862,395 filed Jan. 4, 2018, which is a continuation of prior U.S.application Ser. No. 15/349,049, filed Nov. 11, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No.9,900,453, issued Feb. 20, 2018, which is a continuation of prior U.S.application Ser. No. 13/852,795, filed Mar. 28, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No.9,509,873, issued Nov. 29, 2016, which application claims priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2012-100080, filed on Apr. 25, 2012 andNo. 2012-139682, filed on Jun. 21, 2012, which are incorporated hereinby reference.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an image forming apparatuswhich includes an antenna portion for short range wirelesscommunication.

BACKGROUND

A known image forming apparatus includes short-range wirelesscommunication function which may be carried out between an image formingapparatus and a portable apparatus. The term “short range wirelesscommunication” used herein is intended to signify wireless communicationwithin a maximum range of, for example, 1 meter.

SUMMARY

However, if an antenna portion used for short-range wirelesscommunication is disposed at an inappropriate position, then theoperability of the image forming apparatus which utilizes acommunication device such as a portable device degrades.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide an image forming apparatus whichutilizes a communication device and is improved in operability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an image formingapparatus according to a first illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a central sectional view of the image forming apparatus ofFIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a projection view of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 toa horizontal plane.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an image formingapparatus according to a second illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an image formingapparatus according to a third illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing a modification to the imageforming apparatus of FIG. 5 .

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an image formingapparatus according to a fourth illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an ink jet printeraccording to a fifth illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the ink jet printer of FIG. 8 .

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line I-I of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 10 .

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a paper cassette.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram schematically showing an electricconfiguration of the ink jet printer of FIG. 8 .

FIGS. 14 and 15 are front views of ink jet printers having differentmodified forms of a terminal receiving member.

FIGS. 16 and 17 are perspective views of further different modifiedforms of the terminal receiving member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, one or more aspects of the disclosure are described.

An image forming apparatus 1 according to an illustrative embodiment,illustrated in FIG. 1 , is one practical example of an image formingapparatus according to aspects of the present disclosure. In short, thematters specifying the claimed invention are not limited to particularmembers, structures or the like exemplified by the followingillustrative embodiments. In the following, the illustrative embodimentsare described with reference to the drawings.

First Illustrative Embodiment

1. General Configuration of the Image Forming Apparatus

Referring first to FIG. 1 , a housing 103 of an image forming apparatus101 according to the present illustrative embodiment configures a designsurface appearance of the image forming apparatus 101. In the apparatusmain body, namely, in the housing 103, an image forming unit 105 forforming an image on a sheet such as a paper sheet is accommodated asshown in FIG. 2 .

It is to be noted that the image forming unit 105 in the presentillustrative embodiment is an image forming unit of the monochromatictype or an image forming member of the xerographic type having aphotosensitive member 105A, a charger 105B, an exposure unit 105C, atransfer member 105D, a fixing unit 105E and so forth.

The photosensitive member 105A carries a developer image thereon. Thecharger 105B charges the photosensitive member 105A. The exposure unit105C exposes the surface of the charged photosensitive member 105A toform an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitivemember 105A. Then, if charged developer is supplied to thephotosensitive member 105A on which the electrostatic latent image isformed, then a developer image is carried on the surface of thephotosensitive member 105A.

The transfer member 105D is configured to transfer the developer imagecarried on the photosensitive member 105A to a sheet and is disposed ata position opposing to the photosensitive member 105A. The fixing unit105E fixes the developer image transferred to the sheet. It is to benoted that the fixing unit 105E in the present illustrative embodimentis a fixing device of the heating type which heats the developer todeposit the developer onto the sheet.

Then, the sheet for which image formation is completed is dischargedfrom a discharge port 107A to a discharge tray 107. It is to be notedthat the discharge port 107A in the present illustrative embodiment isopen to the forward side at a rearward side upper portion of the housing103. The discharge tray 107 is configured to have an inclined face whichis inclined downward toward the discharge port 107A.

Below the image forming unit 105 in the housing 103, a feed tray 109 isdisposed which has a receiving portion 109A on which a plurality ofsheets can be placed. The feed tray 109 is removably mounted on theapparatus main body, namely, on the housing 103. In the presentillustrative embodiment, the feed tray 109 may be mounted on and removedfrom the housing 103 by moving the feed tray 109 in forward and backwarddirections.

Sheets placed in a stacked state on the feed tray 109 are successivelyfed to the image forming unit 105 from the upper end side of the feedtray 109 in the stacking direction.

2. Antenna portion for Short-Range Wireless Communication

In the housing 103, a communication board 111 having an antenna portion111A for short-range wireless communication is disposed as shown in FIG.2 . Further, the image forming apparatus 101 according to the presentillustrative embodiment carries out short-range wireless communicationwith a communication device such as a portable apparatus (not shown)through the antenna portion 111A. By such short-range wirelesscommunication, for example, the following acts can be carried out.

In particular, (a) the image forming apparatus 101 can be operatedthrough an operation unit of the communication device. (b) Image data tobe formed on a sheet can be transmitted from the communication device tothe image forming apparatus 101 directly without passing through acomputer or the like so that it is printed by the image formingapparatus 101. Or, (c) by authenticating an owner of the communicationdevice, an operation permitted in advance to the owner is executed whileoperations other than the permitted operation are prohibited.

A communication unit 111B which corresponds to the antenna portion 111Ais provided at a position on the outer surface of the housing 103 atwhich the communication unit 111B may be seen without obstruction fromthe upper side as shown in FIG. 1 .

In particular, the image forming apparatus 101 does not have any portionabove the communication unit 111B. Therefore, in a region from above thecommunication unit 111B to the communication unit 111B, nothing blocksthe field of vision of the user, and the user may see the communicationunit 111B without obstruction from the upper side.

In particular, the communication unit 111B is provided on an upper faceof a forward side of the housing 103. An operation region 113 which isoperated by a user is provided on the front side of the housing 103. Inparticular, the communication unit 111B in the present illustrativeembodiment is provided, at least in the forward and backward directionof the housing 103, on the same side as the operation region 113.

More particularly, the communication unit 111B is provided at a positiondisplaced toward the front side with respect to the discharge tray 107in the forward and backward direction of the housing 103. It is to benoted that the “front face side in the forward and backward direction ofthe housing 103” is a side of the housing 103 on which the operationregion 113 is provided, for example, with respect to the center in theforward and backward direction.

Therefore, if the antenna portion 111A and the charger 105B areprojected to a horizontal plane, then the antenna portion 111A projectedto the horizontal plane is displaced with respect to the charger 105Bprojected to the horizontal plane. In other words, the antenna portion111A projected to the horizontal plane is positioned on the oppositeside to the fixing unit 105E projected to the horizontal plane acrossthe charger 105B projected to the horizontal plane.

Further, the communication unit 111B is formed in a horizontally planarstate as shown in FIG. 2 . It is to be noted that the term “horizontal”signifies a horizontal state of such a degree that, when a communicationdevice is placed on the communication unit 111B, the communicationdevice does not slip down from the communication unit 111B, namely, fromthe housing 103. Further, the term “planar state” signifies a planarstate of such a degree that, when a communication device is placed onthe communication unit 111B, the communication device does not sufferfrom any significant rattle.

Further, an opening 103A and a front cover 103B are provided on theforward side of the housing 103. The opening 103A establishescommunication between the inside and the outside of the housing 103. Thefront cover 103B is assembled to the housing 103 for displacementbetween a position at which the front cover 103B closes the opening 103Aand a position at which the front cover 103B opens the opening 103A. Itis to be noted that the front cover 103B in the present illustrativeembodiment opens and closes the opening 103A by rocking displacementthereof around a lower end side thereof.

The antenna portion 111A is disposed on the upper side with respect toan upper end of the front cover 103B. In other words, the antennaportion 111A is positioned at a location displaced to the outer sidefrom an outer edge of the opening 103A as viewed from the openingdirection of the opening 103A, in the present illustrative embodiment,from the forward and backward direction.

It is to be noted that the opening 103A can allow a dismounting ormounting operation of a process unit 105F or a removing operation of ajamming sheet or the like to be carried out. Incidentally, the processunit 105F is a casing in which the photosensitive member 105A, developerand so forth can be accommodated.

3. Characteristics of the Image Forming Apparatus

In the present illustrative embodiment, since the communication unit111B is provided at a position at which it can be seen withoutobstruction from the upper side, a communication device such as asmartphone can be brought close to or into contact with thecommunication unit 111B readily. Accordingly, since wirelesscommunication between the antenna portion 111A and a communicationdevice can be established reliably, the operability of the image formingapparatus which utilizes the communication device can be improved.

In the present illustrative embodiment, the antenna portion 111A isdisposed such that the antenna portion 111A projected to the horizontalplane is displaced from the charger 105B projected to the horizontalplane. Therefore, the distance between the antenna portion 111A and thecharger 105B may be made comparatively great. Accordingly, a situationin which the antenna portion 111A suffers from electric noise from thecharger 105B may be suppressed.

In the present illustrative embodiment, the antenna portion 111A isdisposed such that the antenna portion 111A projected to the horizontalplane is positioned on the opposite side to the fixing unit 105Eprojected to the horizontal plane across the charger 105B projected tothe horizontal plane. Therefore, the antenna portion 111A can be spacedfrom the fixing unit 105E. Accordingly, where the fixing unit 105E ofthe heating type is adopted, the antenna portion 111A can be protectedagainst the heat of the fixing unit 105E.

In the present illustrative embodiment, since the communication unit111B is provided at a position displaced from the discharge tray 107,such a failure that a sheet placed on the discharge tray 107 makes anobstacle when a communication device is brought close to or into contactwith the communication unit 111B can be prevented.

In the present illustrative embodiment, since the communication unit111B is positioned on the upper face of the forward side of the housing103, the user can bring a communication device close to or into contactwith the communication unit 111B readily.

In the present illustrative embodiment, since the communication unit111B is formed so as to have a horizontal planar shape, a communicationdevice may be left in a state in the communication device when it isplaced on the communication unit 111B. Accordingly, the user need nothold the communication device, and consequently, the image formingapparatus is improved in convenience in use.

In the present illustrative embodiment, since the antenna portion 111Ais disposed on the upper side with respect to an upper end of the frontcover 103B, the user can bring a communication device close to or intocontact with the communication unit 111B readily, independent of theposition of the front cover 103B.

In particular, if the communication unit 111B is provided otherwise on amovable member such as the front cover 103B, then since the position ofthe communication unit 111B is displaced depending upon the state of themovable member, it is difficult to bring a communication device close toor into contact with the communication unit 111B.

Second Illustrative Embodiment

The communication unit 111B in the first illustrative embodiment isprovided at a position displaced forwardly with respect to the dischargetray 107 in the forward and backward direction of the housing 103.However, in the present illustrative embodiment, the communication unit111B is provided at a position displaced with respect to the dischargetray 107 in the leftward and rightward direction of the housing 103 asshown in FIG. 4 .

Further, the communication unit 111B in the present illustrativeembodiment is formed in an inclined planar shape which extendsdownwardly toward the forward side. Further, a holding member 111C forholding a communication device thereon is provided on the lower end sideof the communication unit 111B.

It is to be noted that the inclined face of the housing 103 whichconfigures the communication unit 111B may have any configuration. Forexample, the inclined face of the housing 103 may be formed integrallywith a top cover 103C which configures the housing 103 or may be formedas a separate member from the top cover 103C and assembled to the topcover 103C.

Further, the communication unit 111B in the present illustrativeembodiment is formed in an inclined planar shape which is inclineddownwardly toward the forward side. Therefore, for example, where adisplay unit is provided on a communication device, the user canvisually recognize the display unit readily while the communicationdevice remains placed on the communication unit 111B.

Further, in the present illustrative embodiment, since the holdingmember 111C for holding a communication device is provided on the lowerend side of the communication unit 111B, the user need not continue tohold the communication device. Accordingly, the image forming apparatuscan be improved in convenience in use.

It is to be noted that, while the communication unit 111B in FIG. 4 isprovided on the rear face side, namely, on the rearward side withrespect to the center in the forward and backward direction, the presentillustrative embodiment is not limited to this, but the communicationunit 111B may be provided on the forward side.

Further, while, in FIG. 4 , the holding member 111C is configured from agroove extending in the leftward and rightward direction, the presentillustrative embodiment is not limited to this, but the holding member111C may be configured, for example, from a projection which projectsupwardly from the top cover 103C or a like element. Or, a flat face ofthe top cover 103C may be utilized as the holding member 111C, or else,the holding member 111C may be eliminated.

Third Illustrative Embodiment

In the present illustrative embodiment depicted in FIG. 5 , an imageforming apparatus 101 with which a reading unit 120 for reading in imageinformation described on a manuscript is integrated is shown.

In particular, the housing 103 in the present illustrative embodimentincludes a first housing member 131 and a second housing member 132. Thefirst housing member 131 accommodates the image forming unit 105 andcorresponds to the housing in the first illustrative embodiment.

The second housing member 132 accommodates the reading unit 120 thereinand is positioned at a location spaced above the first housing member131 with a space 130A left therebetween. In short, the reading unit 120is positioned at the location spaced above the discharge tray 107 withthe space 130A therebetween.

Further, at a position of the second housing member 132 displaced fromthe reading unit 120, an operation panel 132A which configures part ofthe second housing member 132 and has the operation region 113 isprovided. The communication unit 111B is provided on the operation panel132A.

Accordingly, if the reading unit 120 and the antenna portion 111A areprojected to a horizontal plane, then the antenna portion 111A projectedto the horizontal plane is displaced from the reading unit 120 projectedto the horizontal plane. Particularly, in the present illustrativeembodiment, the operation panel 132A is displaced frontward with respectto the reading unit 120 and is provided at a position at which theoperation panel 132A can be seen from the upper side withoutobstruction.

Therefore, in the present illustrative embodiment, the user may bring acommunication device close to or into contact with the communicationunit 111B readily without being obstructed by the reading unit 120.

Further, since the communication unit 111B is provided on the secondhousing member 132 disposed on the upper side with respect to the firsthousing member 131, the user can bring a communication device close toor into contact with the communication unit 111B readily from the upperside.

Although the communication unit 111B in the present illustrativeembodiment is configured in an inclined planar shape similar to that inthe second illustrative embodiment, the holding member 111C is notprovided on the communication unit 111B as shown in FIG. 5 . However,the present illustrative embodiment is not limited to this, but theholding member 111C may be provided otherwise on the lower end side ofthe communication unit 111B or the communication unit 111B may otherwisebe formed in a horizontal planar shape.

Further, where the holding member 111C is provided, it may be configuredsuch that, for example, as shown in FIG. 6 , a recessed portion 111Dforms a recess in the upper face of the operation panel 132A that allowsa communication device to be received therein. If such a configurationas just described is adopted, then since a communication device can fitinto the recessed portion 111D, the recessed portion 111D can functionas the holding member 111C.

Fourth Illustrative Embodiment

While, in the third illustrative embodiment, the communication unit 111Bis provided in the second housing member 132, in the presentillustrative embodiment, the communication unit 111B is provided at aposition of the first housing member 131 at which the communication unit111B can be seen without obstruction from the upper side as shown inFIG. 7 .

Also in the present illustrative embodiment, if the reading unit 120 andthe antenna portion 111A are projected to a horizontal plane, then theantenna portion 111A projected to the horizontal plane is displaced withrespect to the reading unit 120 projected to the horizontal plane.

Therefore, also in the present illustrative embodiment, the user maybring a communication device close to or into contact with thecommunication unit 111B readily without being obstructed by the readingunit 120.

While the image forming units in the first to fourth illustrativeembodiments described hereinabove are of the monochromatic xerographytype, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In particular, theimage forming unit may be of any type such as the color xerography typeor the monochromatic or color ink jet type.

Further, the particular utilization form of the short-range wirelesscommunication is not limited to that used in the illustrativeembodiments described hereinabove but may be any other utilization form.

For example, a communication device having a display unit such as aliquid crystal panel may be used in such a utilization form that thedisplay unit of the communication device functions as a display unit ofthe image forming apparatus through short-range wireless communication.Where the communication device is used as the display unit of the imageforming apparatus, a configuration wherein the image forming apparatusdoes not have a display unit can be implemented. Therefore, reduction ofthe fabrication cost of the image forming apparatus can be anticipated.

Fifth Illustrative Embodiment

A perspective view of an ink jet printer according to the fifthillustrative embodiment is shown in FIG. 8 . It is to be noted thatupward, downward, leftward, rightward, forward and backward directionsare defined in an installation state illustrated in FIG. 8 in which theink jet printer is used.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the ink jet printer 1 is a recording apparatus andalso an image forming apparatus and includes a printer housing 2 formedfrom a synthetic resin material and a cover 3 attached for pivotalmotion to the printer housing 2. An opening is formed at a front portionof the printer housing 2 and surrounded by an upper wall 2 a, side walls2 b and 2 c and a bottom wall 2 d of the printer housing 2. As shown inFIG. 10 , a control board 29 is disposed in a horizontal posture on anupper face of the upper wall 2 a. In the control board 29, variouscircuits for controlling the ink jet printer 1 are incorporated. In FIG.11 , the upper wall 2 a and the control board 29 are not shown.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 , the printer housing 2 accommodates aprinter unit or recording unit 4 for recording an image and so forth ona recording paper sheet 100 which is recording medium, and a feedingmechanism 5 for feeding the recording paper sheet 100 to the printerunit 4. The printer housing 2 further accommodates a discharge unit 6into which the recording paper sheet 100 recorded by the printer unit 4is discharged. The printer housing 2 further accommodates a maintenanceunit 7 for carrying out maintenance of an ink jet head 18 of the printerunit 4, and a scanner unit 8 for reading an image, characters and soforth recorded on the recording paper sheet 100. An operation panel 9for accepting various operations for the ink jet printer 1 by a user isdisposed at a front portion of an upper face of the printer housing 2.It is to be noted that a configuration of the components is hereinafterdescribed.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 11 , an opening and closing lid 10 is attachedto the right end of a front face of the printer housing 2, and a holder12 on which ink cartridges 11 are to be mounted is disposed behind theopening and closing lid 10. The holder 12 has four cartridge mountingportions 12 a, into which four ink cartridges 11 in which inks of fourcolors, namely, cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (BK, arestored individually, are removably mounted from the front.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the cover 3 is disposed behind the operation panel9 of the printer housing 2 and above the printer housing 2 in such amanner as to cover the upper face of the printer housing 2. Further, thecover 3 is attached to the printer housing 2 through a pivot shaft notshown provided at a rear end portion thereof such that it can be pivotedupwardly and downwardly with respect to the printer housing 2 around thepivot shaft.

Referring to FIG. 10 , the feeding mechanism 5 includes a paper cassette15 mounted on the printer housing 2, and a pickup roller 16 for pickingup a recording paper sheet 100 from the paper cassette 15. The papercassette 15 has a main tray 15 a for holding the recording paper sheets100 in a stacked state thereon and a discharge tray 15 b provided abovethe main tray 15 a for receiving the recording paper sheet 100 recordedby and discharged from the printer unit 4 hereinafter described. Thepickup roller 16 is disposed above the main tray 15 a and configured torotate around a rotatable shaft provided on the printer housing 2. Thepickup roller 16 is driven to rotate by a paper feed motor 80 shown inFIG. 13 to pick up the recording paper sheets 100 one by one from themain tray 15 a of the paper cassette 15. The recording paper sheet 100picked up by the pickup roller 16 is pushed upwardly along an inclinedface 15 c provided at an end portion of the paper cassette 15 andsupplied to the printer unit 4.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 , the printer unit 4 is disposed in theprinter housing 2 and carries out recording on a recording paper sheet100. The printer unit 4 is disposed above the feeding mechanism 5. Theprinter unit 4 includes a carriage 17 mounted for back and forthmovement in the leftward and rightward direction, namely, in a scanningdirection, and an ink jet head 18 carried on the carriage 17. Theprinter unit 4 further includes a transport mechanism 19 fortransporting a recording paper sheet 100 forwardly, namely, in adischarging direction, along a horizontal plane.

In the printer housing 2, a platen 20 for supporting a recording papersheet 100 is disposed in a horizontal posture. Two guide rails 21 and 22are provided above the platen 20 and extend in parallel to each other inthe scanning direction. The carriage 17 is driven by a carriage drivingmotor 78 shown in FIG. 13 to move in the scanning direction, namely, inthe leftward and rightward direction, along the two guide rails 21 and22 in a region opposing the recording paper sheet 100 on the platen 20.

The ink jet head 18 is attached to a lower portion of the carriage 17 ina state in which a gap is provided between the ink jet head 18 and theplaten 20. A lower face of the ink jet head 18 serves as an ink dropinjection face 18 a to which a plurality of nozzles 23 are opened. Thenozzles 23 are arrayed along the discharging direction to configure fournozzle columns for injecting inks of the four colors, namely, of cyan,magenta, yellow and block. The ink jet head 18 carried on the carriage17 is connected to the holder 12 described hereinabove through tubes notshown such that the inks of the four colors stored in the four inkcartridges 11 mounted on the holder 12 are supplied to the ink jet head18 through the tubes.

The ink jet head 18 is movable together with the carriage 17 not onlywithin a range within which it is opposed to a recording paper sheet 100transported on the platen 20 but also to positions displaced to the leftand right outer sides from the range. Particularly, the position on theright side with respect to the opposing range to the recording papersheet 100 is a standby position at which the carriage 17 stands by whenthe ink jet head 18 is not used. When the carriage 17 arrives at thestandby position, it opposes the maintenance unit 7 hereinafterdescribed which is disposed below the carriage 17.

The transport mechanism 19 includes two transport roller pairs 24 and 25disposed forward and rearward in such a manner that the platen 20 andthe carriage 17 are positioned therebetween. The transport roller pairs24 and 25 are driven by a transport motor 79 shown in FIG. 13 totransport a recording paper sheet 100 forwardly, namely, in thedischarging direction, between the ink jet head 18 and the platen 20.

In the printer unit 4 described above, while the carriage 17 is moved inthe scanning direction, namely, in the leftward and rightward direction,ink is injected from the ink jet head 18 to a recording paper sheet 100on the platen 20 and the recording paper sheet 100 is transported in thedischarging direction by the two transport roller pairs 24 and 25 torecord a desired image or characters on the recording paper sheet 100.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10 , the above-described opening surrounded bythe upper wall 2 a, side walls 2 b and 2 c and bottom wall 2 d is formedbelow the operation panel 9 at a front portion of the printer housing 2.The paper cassette 15 is mounted on the bottom wall 2 d under theopening. The paper cassette 15 is removable from the printer housing 2.The discharge unit 6 is formed from the discharge tray 15 b, namely, adischarge face of the discharge tray 15 b, at the top of the papercassette 15, and an opening region above the paper cassette 15surrounded by the discharge tray 15 b and the upper wall 2 a and sidewalls 2 b and 2 c of the printer housing 2. A recording paper sheet 100recorded by the printer unit 4 is transferred forwardly by the transportroller pairs 24 and 25 and placed on the discharge tray 15 b of thedischarge unit 6. In this manner, the discharge unit 6 is formed in theprinter housing 2, and the recording paper sheet 100 recorded by theprinter unit 4 is discharged to the discharge unit 6. The user can takeout the recording paper sheet 100 placed on the discharge tray 15 b fromthe front of the discharge unit 6.

Referring to FIG. 11 , the maintenance unit 7 is disposed at a positionon the right side of the platen 20, namely, at a position opposing theink jet head 18 when the ink jet head 18 stands by at the standbyposition. The maintenance unit 7 includes a cap member 26 which closelycontacts with the ink drop injection face 18 a of the ink jet head 18 tocover the openings of the nozzles 23. The maintenance unit 7 furtherincludes a suction pump 27 for compulsorily discharging ink from thenozzles 23 covered with the cap member 26 to the cap member 26, a wiper28 for wiping off the ink sticking to the ink drop injection face 18 a,and so forth.

Referring to FIG. 10 , the scanner unit 8 includes a carriage 30 movableback and forth in the leftward and rightward direction, and an imagescanner 31 carried on the carriage 30. At an upper portion in theprinter housing 2, a guide rail 32 is provided such that it extends inparallel to the scanning direction, namely, in the leftward andrightward direction. When the carriage 30 is driven by a carriagedriving motor not shown, it moves in the scanning direction, namely, inthe leftward and rightward direction, along the guide rail 32 within arange opposing a plate member 14 fitted in an opening 13 in the printerhousing 2. Thereupon, the recording paper sheet 100 is scanned by theimage scanner 31. In other words, the ink jet printer 1 of the presentillustrative embodiment is configured as a composite machine which canexecute printing, scanning, copying and so forth.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 10 , the operation panel 9 is provided at afront portion of an upper face of the printer housing 2 and above thedischarge unit 6, and has various operation buttons 33 to 36, a liquidcrystal display unit 37 of the touch panel type, and so forth. Theliquid crystal display unit 37 displays various kinds of informationthereon, and the user can operate the liquid crystal display unit 37 toinstruct the ink jet printer 1 to carry out various operations. A largenumber of conductors for the liquid crystal display unit 37 and so forthare disposed on the operation panel 9. A panel controlling board 38 forcontrolling the operation panel 9 is provided below the operation panel9 as shown in FIG. 10 . A panel controlling circuit 81 shown in FIG. 13for controlling the operation panel 9 and associated elements isincorporated in the panel controlling board 38.

The ink jet printer 1 according to the present illustrative embodimentcarries out communication by the NFC (Near Field Communication), whichis a type of short-range wireless communication, with a communicationterminal 200 such as a portable telephone set or a smartphone.Consequently, the ink jet printer 1 can receive recording data of animage or characters from the communication terminal 200. In thefollowing, a configuration of the ink jet printer 1 which relates to theshort-range wireless communication is described.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 11 , a terminal receiving member 39 on which thecommunication terminal 200 can be placed is provided in the dischargeunit 6. In particular, the terminal receiving member 39 is a recessedportion provided on the discharge tray 15 b on which a recording papersheet 100 recorded by the printer unit 4 is to be placed as shown alsoin FIG. 12 . Further, the terminal receiving member 39 is formed in asubstantially rectangular shape at a central portion at a front endportion of the discharge tray 15 b. Furthermore, the terminal receivingmember 39 has an extent sufficient to accommodate the communicationterminal 200 therein and has a depth with which the communicationterminal 200 does not project upwardly from the terminal receivingmember 39 in a state in which the communication terminal 200 is mountedin the terminal receiving member 39. The user can place thecommunication terminal 200 readily into the terminal receiving member 39from the front of the discharge unit 6. Below the terminal receivingmember 39 of the paper cassette 15, a mark 40 which indicates theposition of the terminal receiving member 39 and is, in the presentillustrative embodiment, an arrow mark, is applied.

According to FIG. 10 , an antenna 41 serving as a communication unit maycommunicate by the NFC with the communication terminal 200 received inthe terminal receiving member 39. In particular, the antenna 41 is aloop antenna and is disposed on a lower face, namely, the reverse face,of the panel controlling board 38. Further, the antenna 41 is disposedon a lower face of the panel controlling board 38 disposed in asubstantially horizontal posture such that the loop portion thereof liessubstantially in parallel to the horizontal direction. Further, theantenna 41 is disposed substantially directly above the terminalreceiving member 39 such that the distance L between the terminalreceiving member 39 and the antenna 41 is within 10 cm which is amaximum communication distance by the NFC. Another loop antenna notshown is built in the communication terminal 200 such that the loopportion thereof extends in parallel to a direction perpendicular to thethickness direction of the communication terminal 200. Therefore, if thecommunication terminal 200 is installed on the horizontal bottom face ofthe terminal receiving member 39, then the loop portions of the antenna41 of the ink jet printer 1 and the antenna of the communicationterminal 200 oppose substantially in parallel to each other.

If the communication terminal 200 is received in the terminal receivingmember 39, then communication by NFC is carried out between the antenna41 on the ink jet printer 1 side and the antenna on the communicationterminal 200 side. More particularly, if a magnetic field is generatedfrom one of the loop antenna 41 of the ink jet printer 1 side and theloop antenna of the communication terminal 200 side, then inducedcurrent is generated in the other antenna by electromagnetic induction.Consequently, data is transmitted from the one antenna to and receivedby the other antenna. Then, if the transmission (magnetic fieldgeneration) function and the reception (induced current generation)function of both antennae are changed over alternately, thenbidirectional communication can be achieved between the ink jet printer1 and the communication terminal 200.

Now, an electric configuration of the ink jet printer 1 is described.FIG. 13 is a block diagram schematically showing an electricconfiguration of the ink jet printer 1. Referring to FIG. 13 , thecontrol board 29 for controlling operation of the ink jet printer 1 isconnected for data communication with a PC (personal computer) 300,which is an external apparatus, through an input/output interface (I/F)71 such that recording data of an image or characters to be recorded areinputted from the PC 300 to the control board 29. Further, the panelcontrolling board 38 in which the panel controlling circuit 81 isincorporated is connected to the control board 29 such that variousoperations from the operation panel 9 are inputted as various signalsrelating to operation of the ink jet printer 1 to the control board 29through the panel controlling circuit 81.

Various circuits are incorporated in the control board 29. Inparticular, a recording controlling circuit 72 for controlling recordingoperation of the printer unit 4, which includes the ink jet head 18 andso forth, based on received recording data, and a paper feedingcontrolling circuit 73 for controlling paper feeding operation by thefeeding mechanism 5 are incorporated. Further, a maintenance controllingcircuit 74 for controlling maintenance operation by the maintenance unit7, a scanner controlling circuit 75 for controlling scanning of arecording paper sheet by the scanner unit 8 and a communicationcontrolling circuit 76 for controlling data communication by the NFCwith the communication terminal 200 are incorporated.

In the following, communication by NFC controlled by the communicationcontrolling circuit 76, particularly reception of recording data, isdescribed. The communication controlling circuit 76 is connected to acommunication module 41 a of the antenna 41. In the ink jet printer 1,communication with the communication terminal 200 by NFC is started bythe user operating the liquid crystal display unit 37 of the operationpanel 9 to input a predetermined instruction. When a communicationstarting instruction is inputted, the communication controlling circuit76 carries out communication with the communication terminal 200. Atthis time, if the communication terminal 200 is placed into the terminalreceiving member 39 by the user and then the communication with thecommunication terminal 200 is carried out normally, then the receptionof the recording data is completed. On the other hand, even if apredetermined period of time elapses, if the communication with thecommunication terminal 200 is not carried out normally, then a messagerepresenting that communication is not carried out normally is displayedon the liquid crystal display unit 37. In this manner, recording datareceived by the antenna 41 are sent from the communication controllingcircuit 76 to the recording controlling circuit 72 similarly torecording data received from the PC 300, and the recording operation bythe printer unit 4 is controlled based on the recording data.

The ink jet printer 1 according to the present illustrative embodimentdescribed above includes a printer housing 2, a printer unit 4 disposedin the printer housing 2 for carrying out recording on a recording papersheet 100, a discharge unit 6 formed in the printer housing 2 forreceiving the recording paper sheet 100 recorded by the printer unit 4and discharged thereto, a terminal receiving member 39 provided on thedischarge unit 6 for receiving a communication terminal 200 placedtherein, and an antenna 41 for communicating with the communicationterminal 200 placed in the terminal receiving member 39 by short-rangewireless communication.

In the ink jet printer 1 according to the present illustrativeembodiment configured in such a manner as described above, the terminalreceiving member 39 in which the communication terminal 200 can bereceived is provided on the discharge unit 6 to which a recording papersheet 100 is discharged. The discharge unit 6 receives the recordingpaper sheet 100 discharged thereto and has a large opening to this side,namely, to the user side, so that the user can take out the dischargedrecording paper sheet 100 therethrough. Accordingly, it is easy for theuser to place the communication terminal 200 into such a discharge unit6 as just described. Further, since the terminal receiving member 39 isprovided on the discharge unit 6, a vacant space can be utilizedeffectively and a receiving space for the communication terminal 200 canbe assured without increasing the size of the apparatus. Further, sincethe communication terminal 200 is received in the discharge unit 6 whichhas a large opening, the communication terminal 200 can be visuallyrecognized readily by the user, and the communication terminal 200 canbe prevented from being left in the terminal receiving member 39.

Further, since the terminal receiving member 39 is provided on thedischarge tray 15 b of the discharge unit 6 on which a recording papersheet 100 recorded by the printer unit 4 is to be placed, the user canplace the communication terminal 200 readily into the terminal receivingmember 39.

Further, since the terminal receiving member 39 is a recessed portionformed on the discharge tray 15 b of the discharge unit 6 and capable ofaccommodating the communication terminal 200 therein, the communicationterminal 200 is accommodated into the recessed portion formed on thedischarge tray 15 b of the discharge unit 6. Consequently, when arecording paper sheet 100 is discharged, it is less likely to contactthe communication terminal 200.

Further, the operation panel 9 and the panel controlling board 38 forcontrolling the operation panel 9 are disposed above the discharge unit6 and the antenna 41 is disposed on the panel controlling board 38.Therefore, communication between the communication terminal 200 and theantenna 41 can be carried out reliably. Further, the panel controllingboard 38 is positioned on the reverse side of the operation panel 9.Namely, the operation panel 9 is positioned on the opposite side to thecommunication terminal 200 across the panel controlling board 38.Accordingly, wireless communication between the antenna 41 provided onthe panel controlling board 38 and the communication terminal 200 is notobstructed by the operation panel 9 which includes a large number ofconductors.

Further, since the mark 40 indicating the position of the terminalreceiving member 39 may be applied, the user can readily recognize theplace at which the communication terminal 200 is to be placed.

While the fifth illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure isdescribed above, the mode to which the present disclosure can be appliedis not limited to the illustrative embodiment described hereinabove butcan be changed suitably without departing from the subject matter of thepresent disclosure.

In particular, in a recording apparatus according to a modification, aterminal receiving member 42 is provided at a position spaced from thedischarge tray 15 b of the discharge unit 6 as shown in FIG. 14 . Inparticular, referring to FIG. 14 , the terminal receiving member 42 is atable provided on the discharge unit 6 and extending horizontally fromthe side wall 2 b of the printer housing 2 above the discharge tray 15 bsuch that the communication terminal 200 can be placed on the table.According to the present modification, since the terminal receivingmember 42 is provided at a position spaced from the discharge tray 15 bof the discharge unit 6, the communication terminal 200 is placed at aposition spaced from the discharge tray 15 b of the discharge unit 6.Consequently, a recording paper sheet 100 discharged along the dischargetray 15 b is less likely to contact the communication terminal 200.Further, since the distance of the communication terminal 200 to theantenna 41 provided on the panel controlling board 38 is reduced incomparison with the fifth illustrative embodiment described above,wireless communication between the antenna 41 and the communicationterminal 200 is enhanced.

In a recording apparatus according to another modification, a terminalreceiving member 43 is a groove which is formed in a region of thedischarge tray 15 b of the discharge unit 6 on the end side in thewidthwise direction of a recording paper sheet 100 perpendicular to thedischarging direction of the recording paper sheet 100 and extends inthe discharging direction of the recording paper sheet 100 as shown inFIGS. 15 and 16 . In this instance, the antenna 41 is provided inparallel to the terminal receiving member 43. For example, the antenna41 can be provided in parallel to the terminal receiving member 43 on acartridge controlling board not shown, in which a cartridge controllingcircuit not shown for controlling the ink cartridges 11 is incorporated,or on a side face of the printer housing 2. According to thismodification, if the communication terminal 200 of a flattened shape isinserted into the groove formed at the end portion of the discharge unit6 in a state in which the communication terminal 200 stands uprightly,then the communication terminal 200 can be disposed along an inner sideface of the discharge unit 6. Accordingly, a discharged recording papersheet 100 is less likely to contact the communication terminal 200.

In a recording apparatus according to a further modification, an upperface of an auxiliary tray 44 serves as a terminal receiving member 45 bywhich the communication terminal 200 is received as shown in FIG. 17 .The auxiliary tray 44 can move out from the discharge tray 15 b of thedischarge unit 6 to the discharging side of a recording paper sheet 100.In particular, the auxiliary tray 44 is attached to the discharge tray15 b through a pivot shaft not shown provided at a rear end portionthereof such that it is pivoted around the pivot shaft to move out tothe discharging side of a recording paper 100 from the discharge tray 15b. By this auxiliary tray 44, a recording paper sheet 100 discharged tothe discharging side is prevented from moving out from the dischargeunit 6. In this instance, the antenna 41 is provided on the auxiliarytray 44. According to the present modification, since the upper face ofthe auxiliary tray 44 is the terminal receiving member 45 by which thecommunication terminal 200 is to be received, when the communicationterminal 200 is mounted on the auxiliary tray 44 moved out from thedischarge unit 6, a recording paper sheet 100 discharged from thedischarge unit 6 is prevented with a higher degree of certainty frommoving out by the communication terminal 200. Further, since the antenna41 is provided on the auxiliary tray 44, the distance between thecommunication terminal 200 provided on the auxiliary tray 44 and theantenna 41 is very short, and consequently, wireless communicationbetween them can be carried out reliable. While the auxiliary tray 44 inthe present modification is provided for pivotal motion on the dischargetray 15 b, it may otherwise be provided for sliding movement on thedischarge tray 15 b such that it can be drawn out forwardly.

The terminal receiving member 45 may otherwise be provided on an upperface of the main tray 15 a in the inside of the paper cassette 15. Inthis instance, the antenna 41 is provided on the main tray 15 a.

Further, since the antenna 41 is connected to the communication module41 a, it can be provided on a board, in the fifth illustrativeembodiment described hereinabove, on the panel controlling board 38.Here, to provide a board for exclusive use for the antenna 41 in orderto mount the antenna 41 is not preferable because of increase of thecost, increase of the scale of the apparatus and so forth. Therefore,preferably the antenna 41 is provided on an ink cartridge board as inthe modification described hereinabove or on the control board 29. Wherethe antenna 41 is provided on the control board 29, the terminalreceiving member 45 may be provided on the discharge tray 15 b below theantenna 41.

Further, while, in the fifth illustrative embodiment describedhereinabove, NFC is applied to carry out short-range wirelesscommunication between the ink jet printer 1 and the communicationterminal 200, alternatively an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tagor the like may be used to carry out short-range wireless communication.Further, the communication terminal is not limited to a portabletelephone set, a smartphone or the like but may be an IC (IntegratedCircuit) card, an IC tag or the like. Further, the data communicated bythe short-range wireless communication is not limited to recording databut may be data such as log-in information to an ink jet printer.

Further, while, in the fifth illustrative embodiment describedhereinabove, the upper face of the paper cassette 15 serves as thedischarge tray 15 b, the paper cassette 15 and the discharge tray 15 bmay not be formed as a unitary member but may be provided at positionsspaced from each other while the upper face of the paper cassette 15does not serve as the discharge tray 15 b.

According to the aspects of the discloser, an image forming apparatuscomprises a housing, an image forming unit, a discharge tray, a terminalreceiving member, and an antenna.

The image forming unit disposed in the housing and configured to form animage on a sheet.

The discharge tray disposed in the housing and configured to receive thesheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit. Theterminal receiving member disposed on the discharge tray and configuredto receive a communication terminal thereon. The antenna configured tocommunicate with the communication terminal received on the terminalreceiving member by short-range wireless communication.

In the image forming apparatus, the terminal receiving member is arecessed portion formed on the discharge tray and configured to hold thecommunication terminal therein.

In the image forming apparatus, the terminal receiving member is agroove formed at a side of the discharge tray, the groove extendingalong a discharging direction in which a sheet is discharged from theimage forming unit.

In the image forming apparatus, an operation unit and a panelcontrolling board configured to control the operation unit are disposedabove the discharge tray, and the antenna is disposed on the panelcontrolling board.

In the image forming apparatus, the discharge tray comprises anauxiliary tray configured to extend from the discharge tray in adischarging direction in which a sheet is discharged from the imageforming unit, and the terminal receive member is located on a surface ofthe auxiliary tray, wherein the surface is the upper face of theauxiliary tray when the auxiliary tray is extended.

In the image forming apparatus, an indicator identifying a position ofthe terminal receiving member is disposed on a discharge unit.

According to the aspects of the discloser, an image forming apparatuscomprises a housing, an image forming unit, a discharge tray, a terminalreceiving member, and an antenna.

The image forming unit disposed in the housing and configured to form animage on a sheet. The discharge tray disposed in the housing andconfigured to receive the sheet on which an image is formed by the imageforming unit. The terminal receiving member disposed in and coupled tothe housing and configured to receive a communication terminal thereonand disposed at a position spaced away from and overlapping thedischarge tray. The antenna configured to communicate with thecommunication terminal received on the terminal receiving member byshort-range wireless communication.

Further, while the ink jet printer 1 in the fifth illustrativeembodiment described above is a recording apparatus of the ink jet type,the recording method is not limited to the ink jet type but may be thatof a laser type, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) type or the like. Wherethe recording method is that of the ink jet type, an ink jet method of aline type may be applied.

The present disclosure includes any invention which is consistent withthe spirit and scope of the disclosure and is not restricted to theillustrative embodiments described hereinabove but the components of theillustrative embodiments may be used in suitable combinations.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: animage forming portion configured to form an image on a sheet; adischarge port; a discharge tray configured to receive the sheet onwhich the image is formed, the sheet being discharged from the dischargeport in a discharging direction; an operation unit positioned higherthan the discharge port; a cover; and an antenna positioned in the coverand configured to communicate using NFC (Near Field Communication),wherein the cover has a communication unit which corresponds to theantenna, the communication unit is displaced with respect to theoperation unit in a width direction that is perpendicular to thedischarging direction and an up-down direction, the communication unitbeing formed in an inclined planar shape, the communication unitprotruding and inclining with respect to a surface of the operationunit.
 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thecommunication unit of the cover inclines downwardly in the dischargingdirection.
 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe operation unit is displaced with respect to the discharge tray inthe width direction.
 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim1, wherein the image forming portion comprises: a photosensitive memberconfigured to carry a developer image, a charger configured to chargethe photosensitive member, an exposure unit configured to expose thephotosensitive member, a transfer member configured to transfer thedeveloper image carried on the photosensitive member to the sheet, and afixing unit configured to fix the developer image transferred to thesheet, and wherein when the communication unit and the charger areprojected to a horizontal plane that is parallel to a bottom side of theimage forming portion opposite to an upper side of the image formingportion, the communication unit projected to the horizontal plane isdisplaced with respect to the charger projected to the horizontal plane.5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:a process unit; an opening for mounting and dismounting operation of theprocess unit; and a front cover configured to move between a firstposition that opens the opening and a second position that closes theopening, wherein the communication unit is positioned higher than thefront cover.
 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the operation unit is located on a first side of the dischargetray, and the communication unit is located on a second side of thedischarge tray.